In one of those classic ''it seemed like a good idea at the time'' moments, I signed up for a 5 day trek in the foothills of the Himalayas to raise much needed funds for microfinance provided through Opportunity International Australia, a cause which I'm deeply passionate about and a proud Ambassador for...
So here it is people - apologies for the delay. I've been travelling in India and Nepal since the trek and it's been hard to find the time to spend online when there's so much great stuff to be out there doing...
Below is a summary of our gruelling journey to the most spectacular place on Earth that I've seen yet. (Although as I'm publishing this, it's a month later and I'm in Kathmandu, booked to take a 7:30 am scenic flight around Mt Everest tomorrow - another one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities I booked on a whim.)
A selection of photos are below, with the rest available at:
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| Megan Climbs a Mountain for Microfinance |
I want to thank all sponsors again sincerely for your generous support - you helped get me up that mountain!...
Oh and I hear that as a group the nine trekkers have raised over $60,000 so far! Wow, imagine if we could make it $100,000! :-)
It's not too late, donations are still open at: http://www.gofundraise.com.au/MeganLowder
Thursday 23rd Sept
After a hearty breakfast and meeting our tour guide Mayank, we set off to visit the Shikhar head office, a partnering MFI based in Delhi which oversees a large area in the north. We were given a presentation about their work and chance to ask lots of questions. After lunch at a local shopping mall we split into two groups to visit ''the field''. What a contrast - from retail giants to humble entrepeneurs...
Our group went to an area in the south of Delhi and got to meet a couple of Shikhar clients. Unfortunately we weren't able to stay long though, as there was a big crowd gathering and due to some religious unrest going on that day (Hindu/Moslem dispute about a temple site) the staff felt it best we keep moving, so we went to their local field office and got to see some loans being distributed to local women (whose husbands must be present for cash distribution, and stood around looking very chuffed about their wives' businesses).
Then it was back to the hotel for a group (bonding) dinner and early fairly night.
Friday 24th Sept
We were taken on city tour, including a drive-by of Old Delhi (also too dangerous to enter due to unrest), the Gandhi Memorial, India Gate, Govt. buildings, a very over-priced & pushy tourist trap/shop, belonging to the tour guide's ''cousin''... and finally Humayan's Tomb, aka ''Dormitory of the Mughgals'' - precursor to the Taj Mahal.
On arriving back at the hotel in the afternoon, I noticed a lot of noise coming from the Jaian temple across the road and went to investigate. Our tour guide, Mayank (aka Mak) joined me and explained that it was the finale of a big 10 day festival.
We had some pani puris, one of my favourite traditional snacks, then went back and gathered the group, ready for our overnight train ride to Chakki Bank, near Pathankot, on our way to Dharamsala - home of the Dalai Lama in exile from China and epicentre of the Tibetan refugee population & Buddhism in India.
Saturday 25th Sept
The train was better than I had expected, but we still arrived very blurry eyed the next morning and made our way to Dharmasala in a mini-bus, stopping for breakfast along the way. It was about a 3 hour (hair-raising at times) drive up to our destination of Upper Dharamsala, aka McLeod Ganj, through beautiful countryside and rolling hills.
You could feel the humidity reducing and temperature dropping as we started to climb up through the foothills of the Himalayas. We arrived to our hotel around lunchtime, had a welcome hot shower, rinsing off the train grit, then gathered for a team lunch.
The afternoon was free and most of the group spent it wandering around town and shopping, before attending a Tibetan cooking class. We made 2 dishes: spinach momos (a Nepali & Tibetan staple) and mothup soup - both were delicious.
We walked around town some more afterwards and ending up stumbling across the Namguang Gompa temple complex and Dalai Lama's home.
Finally a quiet group dinner and early night, ready to start our big trek the next morning.
Sun 26th Sept - Day 1 of trek - McLeod Ganj to Kareri Village, at 2070m
We were driven about 4 kilometres out of town to our starting point, and set off optimistically and enthusiastically with a sense of adventure circling in the air. After a quick stop for a team photos (while looking clean & freshly showered in our spotless team t-shirts), there was no more procrastinating and it was time to get on with the show.
Our trek began with 1 1/2 hour steep and rocky descent into a luschious green valley, knowing all the while that we would have to climb up the other side of it. We crossed over streams and through tiny villages, while the peaks we were destined to climb loomed ahead of us...
After a nice chai stop at the bottom of the valley, we moved on, passing over the first of several dodgy bridges we would have to cross on our journey, taking it in turns to ginerly inch across one by one, before starting our ascent on the other side.
Passing through more villages and past the odd school, we slowly carved our way up towards our pictureseque lunch stop. A group of shy but curious local children came to check us out while we ate our packed lunches, so Bek and I warmed them up for the cameras with some basic Hindi.
Moving on after a good rest, we continued upwards, ever higher and higher and witnessed the terrain grow greener and more damp. We passed our first goat herding family, or Gaddi, as they're known locally, and our first old lady carrying an enormous pile of corn on her head, signalling our entry into the cornfields.
After a while, we came across some corn mills belonging to local farmers. We were invited in to see how they use water to power the wheels which turn the huge grinding stones, turning wheat and corn into flour.
After crossing more streams and passing through more meadows, we finally reach our campsite by the creek, only to find our mules haven't arrived yet, and therefore all our bags and campsite equipment were still on their way, so some of us decided to have an exhilarating dip in the freezing cold glacial creek.
Some time later, we sat shivering in our wet clothes, still waiting for the mules, until finally we glimpsed the red bags come bobbing over the hill and everyone cheered!
It was interesting to watch our campsite be constructed right before our eyes in what seemed like a flash - they've obviously done this before and had it down to a fine art.
Our team consisted of Mayank, Chander Paul (a very experienced local trekking guide and Search & Rescue expert), one chef with three kitchen helpers, two horsemen and 15 mules!
The orange sleeping tents were set up first, and we all fresehend up while witnessing the kitchen tent, the mess tent and the toilet tents being erected and dinner subsequently being prepared.
After changing into our trackies and putting sandshoes on our tired achey feet, we gathered in the mess tent for a humble but delicious three course camp meal, thinking ''this mightn't be so bad after all''...
We fall into bed one by one, exhausted but mentally preparing ourselves for things to get harder...
Mon 27th Sept - Day 2 of Trek - Kareri Village to Bal, at 2330m
We awake to our 6am ''room service'' - Mayank and one of the kitchen staff announce the morning's arrival by appearing at our tent with hot chai. A few minutes later, a bowl of warm water - the closest we would get to a shower for the next 5 days. (The morning routine becomes 6am wake-up, 7am breakfast, 8am we leave.) We sponge ourselves and dress then hit the mess tent for a hearty breakfast.
The landscape change son day two, we reach the cornfields and our first morning stop is at the school in Kareri, a farming village. We watch as the kids line up on the oval for morning prayers, pledges to India and a quick general knowledge test, then get stuck into their morning lessons diligently while waiting for the rest of the teachers to arive from their respective villages.
We bid farewell to the children and head off again, beginning another steep & rocky descent down into a beautiful valley.
Crossing yet more streams, we catch a glimpse of our mules below, dutifully following us with our luggage and camp supplies. We pass the local pre-school, where village elders take care of the children too young for school, while their parents work in the fields.
After a while we pass through another village, then for a little while the path is a gentle downward slope, welcome relief for our stiff knees.
We reach the second rickety bridge we must cross - an enormous pile of rusty metal which appeared to be just hanging by a thread.
One at a time, we gingerly cross the swaying rust-bucket, and then just for fun Paul decides to jump up and down on one end, sending the person crossing it at the time scurrying to the other side screaming for their life.
At this point in our journey, the scenery is becoming more & more magnificent. We pass through more small villages and see various crops drying in the sun, including corn, beans and chilli, among others.
Eventually the path begins to lead upwards again, and before we know it we are at the bottom of what we affectionately named ''Leech Hill'' - a very steep and dense jungle ascent, the last part was literally a scramble over loose rock scree.
This was one of the hardest parts of the whole trek - at man times during this ascent I was cursing myself (and out loud!) and wondering why on Earth I had signed up for this - at which point we established the need for a swear jar, the proceeds of which would go towards our fundraising efforts. I suggested that I didn't have enough money to cover the blasphemy going through my head!
The was a rich sense of victory in the air upon reaching the top of the ridge - cheerful photos of air-punches and triumphant smiles were taken, overlooking the valley we had just climbed from.
We moved on and passed an international boarding school perched high on the ridge opposite, and were advised that it was only ''ten minutes'' to our campsite for the night. We learned not to take this too literally - ''10 minutes'' could mean half an hour or more! So this became a catch-phrase of the trip - everything was always just ''10 minutes'' away!
Stopping for a welcome cup of chai in a small village along the top of ridge, at Paul's cousin's house, we were enlightened with some of the finer points about village life and the nomadical lifestyle of the local shepherds (Gaddi).
Moving on, we descend a short way into the valley and are delighted to catch a glimpse of our orange tents a little way below us - tonight, our campsite is ready for us and dinner is already simmering in the pressure-cooker.
Some of the more adventurous ones in the group decide another glacial bath is in order and we made our way down to the river, clambering up over the rocks to reach a lovely swimming hole and waterfall. The water seemed twice as cold as yesterday! There was a perfect rock from which to throw one's self into the glistening pool. After dunking ourselves a few times, we made our way back to camp dodging the giant stinging nettles along the way, to dry off and get ready for another fulfilling dinner.
Warm and dry, there was still a short wait for our meal (''10 minutes'') so we gathered around an imaginary campfire (forbidden in the Himalaya National Park, except for the Gaddi) and listened to more stories from Paul about the local villagers.
The Gaddi spend 8-10 months each year way up in the mountains, moving their flocks from one make-shift camp to another, leaving their wives and families at home to fend for themselves until their return with the annual income from the sale of much of their herd. From here, the process begins again after just a few months of family time.
Suddenly we hear the dinner bell - one of the kitchen boys comes by clanging a pot, signalling that our next three course meal is about to be served in the mess tent.
Taking our places around the bench, we settle down to enjoy some well-earned sustenance and a few laughs, as the comradery of our mission becomes more & more evident.
Early to bed and early to rise becomes our motto and we all drop off one by one in our thermals to our stiff and uncomfortable sleeping mats but delectably cozy goosedown sleeping bag for a good night's shuteye at 2330m above sea level.
Tuesday 28th Sept - Day 3 of Trek - Bal to Triund, then up to the snowline at Laka Got, aka Ilaqa.
The night before, the team had agreed that the next day we would go on past our original planned campsite for that day of Triund, and continue up further to Laka Got (''base camp'' for the Indrahar Pass), where we could view the Pass and make a more educated & diplomatic decision about our attempt at it the following day.
Some of the group felt they weren't up to it due to bad knees etc, and we had to stick together as a group and not split up for safety reasons, so we wanted to see how bad it was before deciding whether to give it a go...
Setting off over a narrow bridge above yesterday's swimming hole, we immediately enter dense jungle and face a huge, steep ascent through another Leech Hill, thankfully not as long as the last one, and after an hour or so more of huffing, puffing, cursing & bashing leeches from our boots with our walking poles, we reach our first morning chai stop at a picturesque point above McLeod Ganj overlooking our guide Paul's village, Dharamkot, where the jeep road up from McLeod meets the start of the walking track to Triund.
Paul pointed out his house by using the zoom on my camera and taking a photo - I didn't know at that point that I would end up visiting that house less than a week later.
The climb to Triund begins with a deceptively gentle upwards slope over a well-worn and fairly smooth path.
We crossed tiny fresh streams and watched the birds ride the air currents over our heads, while taking what seemed like a Sunday stroll, pleasantly chatting and laughing cheerfully.
Just when we're all thinking ''hmmmm today should be easier'', we turn a bend and suddenly face a sharp change of angle in the path and a climb to what seemed like a never-ending peak.
We spend the next hour adding to the swear jar and eating our words about today being easier.
We stopped at the Magic View Cafe for chai and a well-earned rest, some people buying some local Himalayan crystals.
We move on and continue for what feels like an eternity, until suddenly, out of nowhere, we come across our kitchen crew perched on a small grassy patch looking out into the valley, with lunch at the ready thanks to the magic of the tiffin.
We all find somewhere to park ourselves and take great joy in devouring a stainless steel plateful of delicious vegetarian fare.
Just as we were getting comfy for a post-meal power-nap, it was time to go again. But Paul had fallen into a deep sleep and Mak had to wake him with the whistle hanging around his neck!
We soldiered onwards and upwards, passing random buffalos and with lots of birds circling over head (at times it felt like they were vultures and were just waiting for one of us to drop & die of exhaustion!) until finally reaching Triund, which appeared before us over a grassy hill. We fell onto mats outside a makeshift tarpaulin teahouse, sipping at the sooting sweet frothy warmth of our chai.
After a bit of a rest, it was up & off again, to make our way to ''Base Camp'', as the clouds had come in and obstructed the view so we walked off up into the clouds. The forest was peaceful and eery, a little bit Harry Potter, a little bit Fantasia and slightly Tolkienesque.
After another hour or so, all steep uphill, we reached a small Hindu temple decorated with red flags at 3000m, signalling entry into official Himalaya territory. Our guides prayed and marked a red tikka on their forehead and we moved on, noticing the air was suddenly much thinner. It was breath-taking being up above the clouds.
We were struggling, and really beginning to sense the actual reality of the task at hand - spectacular peaks stretched out before us. We felt our team spirits rise at certain points providing particular inspiration.
Arriving into camp had never been more thoroughly anticipated. A spectacular campsite location at the snowline was our reward for the day's pain endurance.
After freshening up and a good meal, we discussed the possibility of an attempt at the Pass, but decided that it would be too dangerous coming down for the people with bad knees, so we all agreed on a compromise and decided to climb to Lesh Cave instead, which is just below the Pass, and does not involve loose rock scree like the top section. We were all so exhausted we fell into bed shortly after dark, dreaming about what lay ahead tomorrow.
Weds 29th Sept - Day 4 of Trek - Laka Got to Lesh Cave, at 3550m, and back to Triund
Awaking to our usual morning chai, we were presented with a stunning morning vista from our tents.
We had our breakfast, and while preparing to leave for the day, a shepherd came through our campsite with his herd.
After posing for some group photos, we set off optimistically, past 150 year old guesthouses established by the British, and into the mist above, ignorant to the reality of the climb ahead.
We stopped after about half an hour of downhill reprieve over rocky terrain with very few trees, to visit a temporary camp of one of the local Gaddi (they move, gypsy-like, between three or four seperate camps throughout the year), where the season's lambs had just been born only 2 or 3 days before.
We set off again through the last of the grassy slopes, past more Gaddi homes, before reaching the top of the treeline and boulder territory at 11,000ft. The climb just got harder and harder from here!
Eventually, after some seriously steep parts, we finally reach a point where we can see clearly above us our destination of Lesh Cave (where hardcore trekkers shelter over night before climbing the Pass early the next morning and continue on to the Chamba Valley on the other side). Dragging ourselves up the last few steps, we stumble out onto a rock ledge outside the cave and suck in the thin air, heartbeats pounding - wow, we made it!
Paul points out where only two years ago, a glacier had graced the slope we just climbed, but sadly now it's gone, thanks to global warming (ten years ago it used to go right down to the treeline). We sat for a while and just soaked it up, but the clouds quickly began to rise and obscure the view , also making our journey back down more dangerous, so we gathered our stuff and began our descent, running high on the adrenalin of achieving our goal.
''Easy does it'' was the motto now, as going down, whilst easier on the heartrate than going up, was a lot more treacherous. Jac took a spill and came out of it in an awe-inspiring commando roll, with Paul and Mak gallantly rushing to her assistance.
It seemed the climb had taken longer than expected, as we had no kitchen staff waiting on a rock with our lunch, nor packed lunches, today, until we got all the way back to Laka Got about 2:30pm, by which time I was exhausted and out of fuel, feeling the affects of altitude, and spent the lunchbreak sitting still, hardly eating, just trying to feel normal again.
We still had to make our way back to our final campsite at Triund, so we set off with the promise of a campfire to warm our achy bones.
On the way down, the image of the majestic Dhaula Dhar range hung in our minds.
Excited to reach our final camp, the reality of what we had achieved began to sink in.
After taking in a spectacular sunset, we freshened up and gathered round as our campfire treat was established (with the help of a significant amount of kerosene, thanks to damp firewood!). Stories and laughter ensued, and a game of ''Guess Who'' was led by Annika, using snippets from our journey, we had to guess who she was talking about. Retreating to the mess tent for our final group camp meal, we were pleasantly surprised when they brought in a cake for dessert.
Exhausted from the day's efforts, we gathered around the fire again and one by one share our thoughts on the highlights of the trek, which lead to a more philosophical discussion about why we chose to do it.
Some retire early, the rest of us stay up chatting around the fire, until finally I crawled into bed and passed out immediately upon my head making contact with my inflatable travel pillow.
Thursday 30th Sept - Day 5 of Trek - Triund back down to McLeod Ganj
We are allowed the luxury of a mini-sleep-in, and the morning routine becomes 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 today instead, although actual departure time was more like 9am, once we got out of the way the formalities of team photos and handing over neatly enveloped tip parcels to each of the kitchen staff, horsemen, and finally to our trusty guide Paul.
Downhill was considerably easier than uphill had been, and we all chatted and wandered slowly down the path towards McLeod, anxiously anticipating a long hot shower!
Stopping for chai at the same teahouse as on the way up, we made our way ever closer to civilisation, passing lone monks wandering in the woods, and eventually reaching the school at Dharamkot, which meant we had only a few more kilometeres to go.
We stopped and chatted with the children, distributing a box of multi-coloured pens which they were delighted with. They sat neatly and politely in rows to receive their pens, each one standing to say thank you as they were granted their new toy, the girls' tidy pigtails glistening in the sun.
Then we were onto a bumpy dirt road down a steep hill, which suddenly pops out into the Times Square of McLeod Ganj - quite surreal after so many days of calmness and serenity in the mountains.
We arrived triumphantly back at the hotel around 2 or 3pm, and armed with packed lunches we retreat to our rooms to feed and shower, some ressurrecting themselves to go for massages, myself indulging in a full-body head to toe pampering.
Friday 1st October
I had heard about the Dalai Lama giving public teachings at his temple complex this coming week, and decided to stay in the area and attend, which meant I would not travel back to Delhi with the rest of the group, but it seemed like an opportunity too good to miss.
So I went off after breakfast to register for the teachings, while the others got in some last minute shopping before a final lunch together, and then Paul & I sent the rest of the group off in cars for their return journey to Pathankot and on by overnight train to Delhi (then home).
I set off with Paul to see his village, carrying just my small daypack and a 100 rupee bag packed with a few essentials, having sent the rest of my gear back to Delhi with the group, and thinking I would just stay a few days...
We took a taxi up to Dharamkot and he showed me to a friend's guesthouse, where I dropped my bag, then we walked on through the village (stopping for chai at his brother's teahouse) and up above it, to his family home of several generations, originally built by his great-grandfather.
We went upstairs and inside and had chai with his mother, and saw fresh sugarcane liquor being boiled up.
Then downstairs I met his uncle and aunt, plus cousin and newlywed wife, who wore a veil over her face as a sign of respect for the male elders.
They have a cluster of three homes and small plots of surrounding land from which they farm corn and wheat.
He took me into his humble room and showed me photos of his high altitude search & rescue training.
You could tell he was very proud of having worked his way up from lowly porter, dragging people's packs up the mountain, to revered guide and rescuer.
After staying for a little while, I felt I was imposing on his day off, so I left and walked back to my guesthouse, stopping to check emails and have some dinner before retiring to my simple room at the family home down in the valley - no hot water, but for 200 rupees a night (about $4), I wasn't complaining!
I ended up staying about two weeks in the bubble of Dharamkot - it was the most beautiful, quaint, quiet little village and I enjoyed some good rest time just reading and writing in my journal, and taking walks to nearby Bhagsu village or McLeod Ganj (see Picassa album for more pics). I spent a lot of time chilling at Sanji's Milky Way, usually full of Israeli backpackers, just reading books and writing alot and also attended the Dalai Lama's public teachings at the temple complex.
So... to sum up, the trek was an incredible experience, terribly hard work and exhausting, and at times I really thought I wasn't going to make it - but rewarding nonetheless, and if nothing else, it taught me never to give up, and that small, controlled steps will get you there eventually.
I want to thank all sponsors again wholeheartedly - it was your kind donations that kept me going when my body was wanting to quit.
Until I see you all again, take care - as I will while travelling...
With love & light, Megan
